Damper control device



'Sept 6, 1938 1 H. RosENBx-:ca 2,129,505

DAMPER CONTROL DEVICE Filed Aug. 18. 1937 lNveN-ron Hayman RosezlefyATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 6, 1938 PATENT oFFlcE DAMPER CONTROL DEVICEHeyman Rosenberg, New York, N. Y.

Application August 18,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to damper control ldevices for regulating theflow of air or other gaseous fluid, either hot or cold, in ducts, andmore particularlyto dampers of the dial type as dislosed'in LettersPatent of the United States No.

2,081,307, granted to me on May 25, 1937. The

present invention is particularly directed to improvementsl upon theinvention disclosed and claimed in my pending application- Serial No.10182043, ledl May 27, 1936, for Damper control dial, now Patent No.2,114,115, said ap-plication and resulting patent being a division ofthe application upon which my Patent No. 2,081,307 was granted.

In accordance with the disclosure of the last referred to patent and ofmy pending application, provision is made of a damperblade having anon-circular stem attached to it and protruding through a side of theduct in which the damperis mounted. The non-circular stem eX- tendsthrough circular openings in the duct wall and in a dial attached to theouter face of the duct Wall, and carries upon its outer end a handlewhereby the damper" can be turned. Provision is made of means forsecuringvthe handle in different adjusted positions as desired. Thenon-circular stem has some freedom of play in the round openings, sothat binding would occur when readjusting the damper but for the facti0: that the dial plate is formed with a central boss having a slopingouter face, and that the handle is'provided on its lowerl face With anannular flange having an inner surface adapted to seat against, and havebearing engagement with, the rfi central boss of the dial plate.

The present invention has in comm-on with the patent and applicationdisclosure referred to, the provision of a handle and a dial'havingcooperating bearing members for providing a steady bearing' for thedamper stem and the handle.

It isv an obje-ct of the present invention to improve upon the handle ofthe prior disclosure by providing a unitary handle of sheet metalconstruction having downturned flanges for cooperating with the dialboss, a unitary pointer for cooperating with the dial scale, and asquare central iiange to provide an elongated surface for engaging thefour sides of the square stem of the damper.

vIt is a further object of the invention to provide clamping means inassociation with the handle and dial and, in connection therewith, toform the handle with depending, reinforcing ange members for bearingagainst the dial, to localize 5 the pressure between the handle and thedial and 1937, Serial No. 159,703

thereby enable the handle to be locked in place by the exercisel of onlya very moderate clamping force.

Otheruobjects and vadvantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawing forming part of this specification and illustratingcertain practical advantageous embodiments of the invention:

Figure 1 isa fragmentary view in 4sectional elevation, partly brokenaway, illustrating a portion of a duct and damper with a control deviceembodying features of the invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the structure illustratedin'Figure 1; g

Figure 3 is a View in side elevation illustrating the damper handleemployed in the construction of Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the handle of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view in sectional elevation illustrating amodified form of construction.

` In Figures 1 and 2 a--damper I is shown'mounted in a duct 2 with thedamper axis extending across Ithe middle portion of the duct. f damperhas attachedA to it a cylindrical bearing 3 which snugly fits a circularopening 4 formed ina wall of the duct 2. The damper also has secured toit a square stern'` 5 which extends through a circular opening 6 in theopposite side of the duct and which is disposed in axial alignment withthe bearing 3.

A dial plate 'I is secured upon the outer side of the duct, the dialplate being provided with a circular central opening 8 in alignmentwithv the I openings 4 and 6. The dial plate 'I is provided with ears 9for attachment to the duct, and attachment maybe effected by theinsertion of hardened sheet metal screws I0 through the ears 9 and theduct wall. The dial as viewed from above comprises a central boss II andan outer circular boss I 2` with an intervening annular channel I3between them. The lateral wall I 4 of the central circular boss slopesupwardly and inwardly from the base of the channel I3, being generallyof frusto-'conical form but being rounded at its upper end and merginginto an inturned flat upper surface I5. Y

The damper handle I6 is astamping formed from a single piece of sheetmetal. The damper handle I6 is provided with a square depending fiangeI'I which defines a square opening I8 adapted to have a snugfsliding twith the square stem 5 of the damper and to extend for a substantialdistance lengthwise of the stem. The

The 2( flange IT is adapted to bear against the upper surface I5 of thecentral boss II of the dial plate. At opposite sides of the flange I1the handle is formed with downwardly extending arcuate flanges I9 whichare concentric with the midpoint of the opening IB. The flanges I9 areadapted to cooperate with the sloping wall I4 of the central boss IIand. thus serve to provide an extensive steady bearing for the handle.At one end the handle is provided with an integral pointer or finger 2|!for cooperating with a scale 2| formed on the upper face of the dialplate base I2.

The handle proper 22, that is, the operating portion of the handle, islocated diametrically opposite the pointer 20 and extends outwardly fromthe opening I8 for a considerable distance, it being desirably providedcontinuously with a short, downturned ange 23 which stiffens the handleand also serves to present smooth side surfaces for engagement by thehand.

The outer circular boss I2 of the dial plate has an arcuate slot 24provided througha portion of the top thereof, the slot opening into anannular channel 25 formed in the boss at the lower side of the dialplate. A square-headed bolt 26 is disposed with its head lying in andlling the width of the channel 25 and with its threaded shank extendingupward through the slot 24 and through an opening 21 in the handle i6. Awing nut 28 is threaded upon the upper end of the bolt 26 and may beturned either to clamp the handle I6 in an adjusted position or tounclamp the handle so as to permit adjustment thereof. Rotation of thebolt is prevented by engagement of the sides of its head with the wallsof the channel 25.

It will be seen that the handle is of extremely simple and inexpensiveconstruction. It will be further observed that it provides in a singlestructure a square central flange having substantial engagement with thedamper stem in the direction of the length thereof, a pointer forcooperating with the dial, and a pair of cooperating bearing flanges forpreventing binding, together with a reinforced operating portion whichcarries the handle locking means.

The ange 32, moreover, includes sections at opposite sides of the handlefor bearing against the dial. These iiange sections space theintervening handle portion away from the dial,-caus ing the clampingpressure to be localized and to be exerted, not by direct thrust butthrough the somewhat deformable portion of the handle which is spacedaway from the dial. The clamping pressure may, therefore, be applied andreleased with greater facility than in prior constructions.

The embodiment of Figure 5- is in all respects the same as that ofFigures 1 to 4, with the exception that a sealing gasket 29 isinterposed between the lower face of the square ange of the handle andthe upper face of the central boss of the dial plate. This gasket may beof any suitable heat resisting and wear resisting material and isdesirably formed as a flat round washer having a square central openingfor tting the square stem of the damper. Since the parts, with theexception of the gasket, are all the same as the corresponding parts ofFigures l and 2, corresponding reference numerals have been applied withthe subscript a added in each instance, and no further description ofthe parts will be given.

While I have illustrated and described in detail certain advantageousforms of my invention,

it is to be noted that changes may be made therein and the inventionembodied in other structures. I do not, therefore, desire to limitmyself to the specific constructions illustrated, but intend to cover myinvention broadly in whatever form its principle may be utilized.

I claim:

l. In a damper, the combination with a damper blade and a square stemtherefor, of a dial plate having a central circular opening throughwhich the damper stem passes and a central boss surrounding the openingand formed with a sloping external bearing wall, of a handle for thedamper stem having sliding engagement with the stem and formed as aunitary sheet metal stamping, said handle including a pointer forcooperating with the dial plate, a square flange slidingly tting thedamper stem and having extended engagement with the stem, opposeddepending arcuate ange segments for cooperating with the dial plate bossto guide and steady the handle, and a flange reinforced operatingportion extending outward beyond the dial plate.

2. In a damper, the combination with a damper blade and a square stemtherefor, of a dial plate having a central circular opening throughwhich the damper stem passes and a central boss surrounding the openingand formed with a sloping external bearing wall, of va handle for thedamper stem having sliding engagement with the stem and formed as aunitary sheet metal stamping, said handle including a pointer forcooperating with the dial plate, a square ilange slidingly tting thedamper stem and having extended engagement with the stem, opposeddepending arcuate flange segments for cooperating with the dial plateboss to guide Vand Steady the handle, an operating portion extendingoutward across the dial plate, and depending flanges reinforcing theoperating portion of the handle and resting on the dial plate, andclamping means carried by the handle and including a clamping bolt whichpasses through a portion of the dial plate for pressing said reinforcingflanges into gripping engagement with the dial plate.

3. In a damper, the combination with a damper blade and a stem therefor,of a dial plate having a central opening through which the damper stempasses, said dial plate including an annular boss having an arcuate slotthrough the upper face thereof, a handle having an opening' tting thedamper stem, and including an operating portion extending outward acrossthe annular boss, depending flanges formed at opposite sides of theportion which extends across the annular boss, a headed bolt having itshead imprisoned in the annular boss and its shank extending upwardthrough the slot and through the handle, and clamping means cooperatingwith the bolt to press the handle flanges firmly down against theannular boss to iix the handle against movement.

4. In a damper, the combination with a damper blade and a square stemtherefor, of a dial plate having a central circular opening throughwhich the ydamper stem passes and a central boss surrounding the openingand formed with a sloping external bearing wall, of a handle for thedamper stem having sliding engagement with the stem and formed as aunitary sheet metal stamping, said handle including a pointer forcooperating with the dial plate, a square flange slidingly fitting thedamper stem and having extended engagement with the stem, opposeddepending arcuate fiange segments for cooperating with the dial plateboss to guide and steady the handle and a ange reinforced operatingportion extending outward beyond the dial plate, and a sealing gasketinterposed between the lower face of the square flange of the handle andthe upper face of the central boss of the dial plate for preventingleakage of gas through they central opening of the dial plate, saidgasket having a square, stem-fitting hole, and adapted to bearcontinuously at its inner margin against the square ange boss, and in anannular area surrounding said inner margin against the dial plate boss.

HEYMAN ROSENBERG.

